Biden-Putin talks ‘positive’
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that a video call between US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin was "positive".
"I think it is positive that the president of the United States spoke with the president of Russia," Zelensky said, a day after Biden warned Putin of "strong" Western economic retaliation for any Russian attack on ex-Soviet Ukraine.
Speaking at a news conference, Zelenskiy also hoped that Ukraine and Russia could agree a new ceasefire and prisoner exchanges when their representatives held talks on the conflict in Ukraine's easterly Donbass region yesterday.
"In general, I think it is positive that the president of the United States spoke with the president of the Russian Federation," Zelenskiy said.
"The most important thing that we see now is that there is a personal real reaction and personal role of President Biden in resolving this conflict, the war in the east of our state."
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned yesterday it would be "a strategic mistake" by Moscow to invade Ukraine, amid concern at a Russian troop build-up on the border.
The message, delivered during a wide-ranging speech and question-and-answer session in London, follows similar warnings from Western capitals as tensions on the Ukrainian frontier. Moscow has deployed up to 100,000 troops there in recent weeks, sparking fears of a major war in eastern Europe, reports AFP.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a video link call of "strong" Western economic blowback against any attack on Ukraine.
The Kremlin leader demanded guarantees that the Nato alliance keep clear of Russia.
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